Instant Pot Red Wine Short Ribs
A go-to economical recipe when company calls. This one always impresses!
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Short ribs have been my go-to dinner for company or special occasions for a long while now. They’re economical, they’re hard to mess up, and they feature that magic deliciousness that only meat cooked low and slow does. But cooking low and slow takes some time. Or at least it usually does. With this method, you’re using the Instant Pot (or another electric pressure cooker) to shave off hours of stovetop time and you still get succulent and tender meat that falls apart at the touch of a fork. There’s also a rich and delicious balsamic and red wine sauce to spoon over anything your heart desires, and that doesn’t hurt matters either.
To start, you want a couple of pounds of bone-in short ribs. You’ll season them and sear them in oil right in the Instant Pot. A couple of tips – wait for it to get hot, work in batches if you need to (don’t crowd the pot), and don’t rush the process.
Brown them well on all sides and then remove the ribs and set them aside for the time being.
Then, soften some onions and garlic…
… before you add the ribs back in along with some tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, red wine, balsamic vinegar, and beef broth.
After an hour at high pressure, that meat will be wonderfully fork-tender and flavored by that aromatic red wine sauce.
I think mashed potatoes or polenta are a must here, if only because it gives you more surface area to spoon the sauce over. It’s a dish that always impresses, but it’s so easy to make!
Instant Pot Red Wine Short Ribs
Yield(s): Serves 4
15m prep time
1h cook time
Allergens: Corn
Diet: Gluten-Free
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs bone-in beef short ribs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Season short ribs liberally with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Set instant pot to 'sauté' and add olive oil. Once hot, add short ribs and brown on all sides, working in batches if needed. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Add onion to instant pot and sauté until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cooked 1 minute more, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the insert.
- Add tomato paste, red wine, balsamic vinegar, and thyme, and rosemary. Stir and cook down liquid a bit, 1-2 minutes.
- Add beef broth and bay leaf and cancel 'sauté' mode. Add short ribs back to pot.
- Close lid, make sure valve is set to 'sealing' and set pressure to high for 1 hour.
- When cooking time is up, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then release valve to let remaining pressure release. When done, remove lid.
- Carefully remove short ribs to a plate or bowl, trying to keep meat on the bone.
- Stir cornstarch into 1/4 cup cold water, then add to instant pot. Set to 'sauté' once more and let mixture bubble, whisking frequently, until mixture thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve short ribs with sauce spooned over and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Primavera Kitchen.